


Painting Day

by muchmoremajestic



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Steve is an artist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 14:17:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18316946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muchmoremajestic/pseuds/muchmoremajestic
Summary: Before he was a super soldier, Steve had been an art student. Nowadays, besides the stack of half-filled sketchbooks in his room and the occasional elaborate doodle in the margins of notes or the back of information sheets done during extensive debriefings, it would be hard to tell that Steve was still an artist at all.There are, of course, exceptions to everything.The first day of each season is painting day.





	Painting Day

Before he was a super soldier, Steve had been an art student. Nowadays, besides the stack of half-filled sketchbooks in his room and the occasional elaborate doodle in the margins of notes or the back of information sheets done during extensive debriefings, it would be hard to tell that Steve was still an artist at all.

There are, of course, exceptions to everything.

The first day of each season is painting day.

Four times a year, Tony watches as Steve packs his supplies and trudges outside behind the compound. Every time, Steve sets up a small table and an easel with a small canvas panel and unpacks his tubes of paint and a big pack of brushes. He carries out a stool and perches behind the compound, overlooking the river and forest behind it, and begins to capture what it looks like on the first day of each new season.

Tony understands why Steve does this; for all the violence, death, chaos and destruction they deal with as part of their jobs, taking the time to memorialize the change in the season was a way to put the past behind him and create hope for moving forward.

Tony loves Steve, and if creating art makes Steve feel better, then Tony supports it any way he can.

On the first day of winter, it had snowed. Steve woke up to see a large canopy set up over his spot to ensure he could still paint that day. Tony was relieved to go to the window to see Steve in place, painting away, and made some hot chocolate for when Steve was finished and ready to come inside.

Today was the first day of spring.

As usual, Steve set up early in the morning and got to work. Around 1 pm, Tony brought down two sandwiches for them to have lunch and a collapsible chair. He sat and ate at a short distance while Steve worked, only stopping briefly to eat the sandwich and kiss Tony on the forehead before returning to his painting.

At around 3:30 pm, with a deep peaceful exhale Steve stood up, picked up the used brushes and palette and went to clean them off. This was always cathartic for Steve, each finished painting marking a new start and freshly cleaned brushes just waiting to be used again.

Tony approached the easel to admire Steve’s work. There was so much color filling such a small canvas, vivid strokes that managed to capture how crisp the morning was. The shine of the sunlight reflecting off the river. A log across the river with a small frog perched on it. The curve of branches in the trees, tired from carrying the weight of snow all winter.

Little splashes of pink revealing budding flowers. Small yellow and blue birds just returned from their migration to the south. Some trees still as green as they were all year, others with small light green leaves coming in full.

For having owned the property and living at the compound for several years, Tony felt ashamed that he never really appreciated how beautiful it really was. He was grateful to have Steve in his life, and the beauty he added. For all the darkness in their lives, Steve managed to pull out color and light.

Tony loved seeing the world through Steve’s eyes.


End file.
